


Kiss it Better

by Sugaandspice



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji is very quiet, Akaashi Keiji is very wise, Angst, Bokuaka - Freeform, Bokuto Koutarou Being Bokuto Koutarou, Bullying, Fluff, M/M, Stuttering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 05:04:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8652100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugaandspice/pseuds/Sugaandspice
Summary: Akaashi never talks and Bokuto wants to know why.





	

            “Akaashi!”

            Bokuto’s loud, boisterous voice tore the setter from his thoughts. He looked up at his captain and the older boy grinned.

            “Did you see?”

            Akaashi only sighed and nodded. He discovered a long time ago that it was easier to just say he did even if he didn’t. When he said no, the usually excitable Bokuto grew disappointed and went into “emo mode.” As much as Akaashi hated lying, Emokuto was not someone he wanted to deal with.

            “I did good, huh?”

            Akaashi nodded and Bokuto cheered. He picked up the volleyball and tossed it into the basket.

            “Okay, time to clean up.”

            Bokuto watched the team start to clean up and then went to sit down next to Akaashi.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “N-nothing, Bokuto-san.”

            “Pinky promise?”

            Bokuto held up his pinky and grinned. Akaashi sighed, reluctantly locking his pinky with Bokuto’s.        

            “Good! Now let’s pick p and go get pork buns.”

            Akaashi nodded and stood up, walking away to help clean up the gym. He picked up the volleyballs and put them into the basket then pushed it back into the closet. He walked back into the locker room and stripped down, stepping into the shower quickly. He leaned against the wall and sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he let the water run down his body.

            He heard all his teammates come in and then leave again, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to get out of the shower. He didn’t want to do anything.

            “Hey captain! Are you going to come with us to get pork buns?” Komi asked.

            “No, I’m gonna wait for Akaashi.”

            “Okay, have a good weekend.”

            “You too!”

            Everything was quiet for a moment and then the door opened.

            “Akaashi?” Bokuto asked. “Are you okay? You’ve been in here for a while? You didn’t slip and fall or anything, did you?”

            “N-n-no. I’m f-f-fine.”

            Akaashi sighed again. He wanted to talk to Bokuto. He wanted to tell him what was going on and how he felt but he couldn’t.

            “Do you still want to get pork buns?”

            “N-n-not really.”

            “Okay.”

            “S-sorry.”

            “It’s okay!” Bokuto cried. “I don’t care what we do. I just wanna spend time with you.”

            Akaashi blushed slightly and looked down.

            “Why have I never seen your parents before? Why don’t they come to games?”

            “My mom works a lot.”

            “And your dad?”

            Akaashi sighed. He felt kind of uncomfortable talking to Bokuto while he was in the shower and he definitely didn’t want to talk about his family, but Bokuto had stayed with him so he tried to talk.

            “Don’t know.”

            “Does he not like sports?”

            “No, I um, d-don’t know him.”

            “Oh. Sorry.”

            “It’s okay.”

            “My dad works a lot so I don’t ever see him.” Bokuto said. “I wish he would come to a game. I just want to make him proud.”

            “I-I’m sure you make both your parents proud, Bokuto-san.”

            Bokuto sighed.

            “I don’t know,” he said. “When I got into the volleyball magazine they didn’t seem to care. My mom was like ‘that’s nice, Koutarou’ and that’s it. I don’t think they understood what it meant.”

            “I’m sorry…” Akaashi said quietly.

            They got quiet and Akaashi was about to speak again when Bokuto spoke up again, beating him to it.

            “Are you almost finished?”

            “With what?”

            “Your shower.”

            “Oh um right, yes.”

            He had forgotten he had been showering and that Bokuto was waiting on him. He turned off the water and reached out for his towel.

            “Akaashi.”

            “Y-yeah?”

            “Can I walk you home?”

            “O-o-okay.”

             Akaashi was a bit nervous for Bokuto to come to his house. He had never had anyone over before Bokuto was his best friend which made everything more anxiety-ridden, but he also didn’t want to say no and hurt his friend’s feelings.

            Akaashi was also worried about Bokuto. He was usually loud and hyper and never stopped talking, but after mentioning his family he got really quiet and almost seemed upset.

            Akaashi dried off, but still stayed hidden behind the curtain.

            “U-uh, Bokuto-san…” he began. “I need to get out.”

            “Oh right, sorry. I’ll look away.”

            Bokuto turned around and Akaashi stepped out, slipping on his boxers before dropping his towel. He pulled on his pants and let out a small sigh.

            “Something wrong?”

            “N-n-no.” Akaashi managed. “J-just tired.”

            Bokuto nodded, turning back around and then blushing at the sight of Akaashi shirtless. He quickly turned back around, the tips of his ears burning.

            “S-sorry. I thought you were dressed.”

            Akaashi quickly put his shirt on, hoping Bokuto hadn’t seen him blush as well. He packed his bag back up and slipped his phone into his pocket.

            “Ready to go?” Bokuto asked.

            Akaashi muttered a small yes and headed out of the locker room, leaving Bokuto to jump up and run after him. He was jumping around, seeming a lot more like himself again.

            “Are you ready for our game this weekend? I’m excited. Everyone has improved a bunch! We’ll win for sure!”

            Akaashi managed a small smile, simply nodding along to what Bokuto was saying. It was nothing weird for them; it’s how it always was. Bokuto was loud and excited and Akaashi was quiet and calm. Bokuto rambled on about whatever came to mind and Akaashi nodded along, rarely commenting. Bokuto talked about everything under the sun and Akaashi kept quiet unless he was asked a direct question or had to calm and overly rambunctious Bokuto down.

            It worked for them. It worked for Akaashi. Bokuto was happy, Akaashi never had to speak, and no one ever questioned it. Akaashi never had to explain. That was the way he liked it and that was the way he wanted it to stay.

            “Aaaaaaaaakaaaaaaaaashiiiiiiiii!”

            Bokuto’s loud whine pierced through Akaashi’s thoughts, making the younger boy jump. He winced at the way the ace said his name, reminding him of the things he so desperately wanted to forget.

            “What’s it like being an only child? Do you like it? Is it lonely?”

            “Quiet.”

            Bokuto frowned.

            “I’m sorry.”

            He looked down and Akaashi started to panic.

            “N-n-no, I-I mean it’s q-quiet. N-nobody’s around to m-make any noise.”

            “Oh!” Bokuto cried. “I wouldn’t like that. I need noise. I hate when things are quiet for too long.”

            Akaashi just nodded, signaling that he heard what Bokuto had said.

            “Do you want siblings? Do you wish you had them?”

            Akaashi was quiet for a moment as he thought about his answer. If he was honest, he didn’t know. It had only ever been him and his mom so that was all he knew. They’d always been rather close and she was always there for him; even when he woke up at 1am crying because he’d had another nightmare. She would sit with him and sing to him until he calmed down and fell back asleep.

            Primary school was rough so nightmares were constant and reoccurring. She never got upset with him though. She took care of him and worked hard to make sure he had everything he needed. Even now she tried her hardest to provide for him. It was harder now since she was getting older and couldn’t get around as easily as she could before, but she never stopped trying.

            If she’d had another child then things would be different. He wouldn’t have gotten the attention that he had and needed. They wouldn’t be as close as they are and he probably wouldn’t be the person that he is.

            “Akaashiiii.”

            “No.” he said quietly. “No siblings.”

            “What about kids? Do you want kids? There are five in my family, but I don’t want that many. I think two. Two would be good.”

            Akaashi didn’t answer. For him, having kids wasn’t going to be as easy as it would be for others. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted kids anyways.

            Bokuto went on babbling; only growing quiet once Akaashi stopped walking.

            “This is your house?”

            Akaashi nodded. He knew it was small, but they didn’t need a huge one with only two people. On top of that, it was all they could afford.

            “Akaashi, can you help me with some homework?”

            He wanted to say no. He wanted to say that he couldn’t help because he had too much to do, but that would be lying and if Bokuto ever found out he lied then he would be crushed.

            Akaashi was nervous though. Helping Bokuto meant inviting him into his home, introducing him to his mom, allowing him to see his room. Doing all of that meant letting Bokuto into a place that no one else had ever seen and he was terrified of what would happen.

            Akaashi gave in and nodded. He unlocked the door and walked in, slipping off his shoes and setting his back down next to them. Bokuto followed suit, looking to Akaashi and smiling.

            “M-mom?”

            Akaashi made his way to the kitchen, Bokuto trailing behind. He gasped softly whenever he saw her, hoping Akaashi hadn’t heard.

            “Mom, I’m home.” Akaashi said softly.

            She shifted slightly, placing her hands back on her crutches before turning around.

            “Hi sweetie, how was your day?”

            “It was okay.”

            He moved to kiss his mom’s cheek and that was when she noticed Bokuto.

            “Oh you must be Bokuto-kun. Keiji has told me so much about you.”

            Bokuto blushed.

            “Akaashi talks about me?”

            She nodded.

            “He’s quite fond of you.”

            “Akaashi!”

            Akaashi mumbled something under his breath and looked at the floor.

            “It’s nice to finally meet you, Bokuto-kun.”

            “You too, Mrs. Akaashi.”

            “Call me Aiko.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Absolutely.”

            She smiled and Bokuto nodded, returning a smile back. He noticed how much Akaashi took after her. They had the same color eyes and she has the same curly black hair. Bokuto couldn’t recall seeing Akaashi smile, but if it was anything like his mom’s he was sure it would be breathtaking.

            “Would you like to stay for dinner, Bokuto-kun?”

            “Yes, please. That would be nice.”

            “We’d love to have you.” Aiko smiled. “It’ll be ready shortly. Go get started on your homework.”

            Akaashi nodded and left the kitchen. He grabbed his bag and then walked down the hall to his room. He hesitated and then opened the door, allowing Bokuto to walk in first. His room was rather plain, with light gray paint on the walls. There were a few volleyball posters and s ingle picture, but nothing more.

            He had a desk in the corner of his room with his school supplies organized neatly. Not too far away he had a bookcase with his book alphabetized. His bed was neatly made with a nightstand next to it, a single magazine lined up straight with the side.

            “Is that the magazine I was in?” Bokuto asked.

            Akaashi blushed and looked away.

            “Y-y-yeah.”

            Bokuto grinned.

            “I’ll sign it for you if you want. Then once I’m famous you can tell everyone that you had my autograph first.”

            Akaashi rolled his eyes. He sat down on the floor and started to get out his work. Bokuto watched him quietly. He had a lot of questions for Akaashi, but he seemed nervous and Bokuto didn’t want to make that worse.

            He took out his work and started looking through it. He sketched a small cartoonish owl in the corner of his math and sighed.

            “Akaashi.”

            “Hm?”

            “Is your mom okay?”

            Akaashi froze. He was afraid that this was going to come up.

            “Can I ask what happened?”

            Akaashi stayed quiet, staring down at his paper.

            “She was in an accident.” He finally said. “She’s okay, but she wasn’t able to go back to work.”

            “What? How do you guys pay bills and stuff?”

            “She works at a convenience store for now.”

            “But other than that she’s okay?”

            “Y-yeah.” Akaashi said softly.

            They went back to working, Bokuto making the occasional comment that Akaashi nodded to acknowledge.

            “Aaaaaakaashi.”

            The dark haired boy flinched; Bokuto’s words reminding him of primary school. Bokuto noticed and furrowed his eyebrows.

            “You okay?”

            Akaashi nodded.

            “Are you sure?”

            Akaashi nodded again and Bokuto cocked his head to the side.

            “Akaashi, why don’t you talk much?”

            Akaashi froze. He was hoping this would never come up. He didn’t even realize Bokuto noticed how quiet he was.

            _“Class! We have a new student today. What’s your name?”_

_“A-A-Akaashi K-K-Keiji.”_

_Everyone laughed and Akaashi felt himself sink into his jacket. He had never handled being laughed at very well._

_“Go have a seat next to Kazu.”_

_Akaashi nodded and moved to sit down. He took out his notebook and looked up at the board, ignoring the pencil that hit him in the head._

_“A-A-Akaashi.” Someone said._

_Everyone around him snickered and he put his head down, trying his hardest no to cry. He couldn’t cry in front of his class, it would only make things worse._

_“Akaashi, no sleeping in class.”_

_He sat up and swallowed._

_“I-I-I’m s-s-sorry.” he managed._

_“It’s okay; just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”_

_“O-okay.”_

_More people laughed and the teacher went back to talking. Akaashi sat there quietly. It wasn’t his fault he had trouble talking. He tried to control it, but he couldn’t._

_The bell rang and he jumped up, quickly leaving the classroom. He headed down the hall, more laughter filling his ears. He didn’t know where it came from, but he didn’t even care. It seemed to be directed at him still and he knew he wasn’t going to stay strong for much longer._

_“B-b-bye A-A-Akaashi.”_

_Akaashi started to cry, sniffling and brushing the tears away quickly. He had to hide them before anyone saw and made fun of him more._

_“Look, he’s crying!” someone cried._

_“W-w-what’s w-w-wrong?” someone else asked._

_Akaashi flinched. He didn’t understand why everyone was making fun of him. He was so happy when his mom told him they were moving because it meant he would be going to a new school with new people. He could get a new start in a new place. No one would know him or his mom or what happened in the past._

_He had hoped people would be nicer here and that someone would actually want to be his friend, but so far that wasn’t happening. Everyone was mocking him and laughing at him and he didn’t understand why._

_Akaashi ran down the hall and outside. He ran down the street and to a nearby park. He sat down on the swing and sobbed. He wanted to go home, but he wasn’t sure how to get there and his mom couldn’t come get him yet._

_He just wanted to hide in his room and forget about everything. He was sick of everyone thinking he was a freak or stupid just because he couldn’t speak as well or as clearly as everyone else did._

_Akaashi sat on the swing until the day ended. He walked back to school so his mom could pick him up. He didn’t tell her what happened and went to sleep wishing he could be someone else. Anyone else. He wanted to be anyone else Akaashi Keiji._

“Akaashi?”

            He looked like he was about to cry so Bokuto moved over and wrapped his arms around him tightly.

            “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Was it something I said?”

            Akaashi shook his head.

            “N-no, not r-really.”

            “Not really? So I did sort of do something?” Bokuto squeezed Akaashi gently. “I’m sorry, Akaashi. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

            Akaashi shook his head again.

            “No, it’s n-not you.”

            “Then what was it?”

            “Y-your question.”

            “What? Why you never talk much?”

            “Y-yeah.”

            “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You don’t have to talk to me about it if you don’t want to.”

            “N-no, you’re my b-best f-f-friend. Y-you s-should know.”

            Bokuto nodded slightly, pulling Akaashi closer.

            “So why is it then?” he asked softly.

            “W-when I was little I h-had a really bad stutter. P-people used to m-make fun of me a lot. M-my mom and I moved here when I w-was n-nine and I thought it would get better, but it didn’t.” he let out a shaky breath. “It’s always been worse when I get anxious. I couldn’t even say my name without stuttering. The k-kids at m-my new school made fun of me and they w-wouldn’t stop. I d-d-didn’t even w-want to be m-myself anymore.”

            Bokuto squeezed Akaashi tightly, hoping he wouldn’t start crying. Bokuto wasn’t very good at consoling someone when they were crying.

            “My m-mom got m-me speech therapy classes and it h-helped a lot b-but when I g-get sad or anxious it gets real b-bad and that’s w-why I don’t ever t-talk much.”

            “Akaashi…” Bokuto said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s o-okay.”

            “I do wish you would talk more though.”

            “I would, b-but I still stutter.”

            “I’ve never noticed.”

            “Really?’

            Bokuto nodded.

            “You’re always so cool and confident. You always know what to say.”

            “I-I’m not.”

            “I’ve never noticed and I’m sure the rest of the team hasn’t either.”

            Akaashi shrugged.

            “I love you.”

            “Y-you do?”

            “I-uh-um-yeah. We all do.”

            Akaashi’s heart dropped and he nodded.

            “I’m sorry everyone made fun of you.” Bokuto said. “But the team is different, they wouldn’t do that.”

            Akaashi nodded.

            “And on the rare chance that they do then I’ll make them run laps.”

            Akaashi laughed, making Bokuto’s eyes light up. He’d never heard Akaashi laugh before but now that he had he was convinced it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.

            Akaashi leaned into Bokuto and looked up at him.

            “Thank you, Bokuto-san.” He said softly.

            Bokuto stared back.

            “For what?”

            “Being so kind.”

            “It’s what best friends do.”

            Akaashi smiled nodded. He started to speak again when he felt Bokuto’s lips press against his own. His eyes grew wide and he tensed up for a moment before relaxing, his eyes falling shut as he kissed Bokuto back.

            Bokuto brought his hand up, gently holding Akaashi’s cheek. They kissed for a few minutes and then Bokuto pulled away. He pressed his forehead to Akaashi’s, both their cheeks flushed.

            “S-sorry.” Bokuto muttered.

            “Don’t be.”

            “You sure?”

            Akaashi nodded.

            “It’s been on my mind for a while.”

            “Really?”

            Akaashi blushed and nodded.

            “Then can I do it again?”

            “Yeah…” he said softly.

            Akaashi nodded and Bokuto leaned in, pressing his lips to the younger boy’s again. Akaashi smiled against Bokuto’s lips, kissing him back just as tenderly.

            When they pulled away Akaashi smiled.

            “That was nice.”

            Bokuto nodded in agreement, squeezing the dark haired boy gently.

            “So… now what?”

            “You’re not stuttering anymore.”

            “I didn’t have time to overthink and be anxious.”

            “Maybe I should kiss you more then.”

            Akaashi smirked.

            “Maybe you should.”

            Bokuto leaned down, kissing Akaashi once more.

            “I like you a lot Akaashi.”

            “I like you a lot too, Bokuto-san.”

            “Would you do be the honor of being my boyfriend?”

            “I would love to be.” Akaashi said softly.

            “I’m gonna help you too, okay?”

            “With what?”

            “Your stuttering.” Bokuto said. “If you’re quieter than usually then I’ll know something is wrong. I’ll kiss you so then you can’t think about whatever it is that’s bothering you. If you start to stutter too then I’ll kiss you so that you can’t think and you’ll calm down and be able to talk without a stutter.”

            “Why?”

            “Because it worked this time so it’ll probably work in the future.”

            “Whatever you say, Bokuto-san.”

            Bokuto laughed and squeezed Akaashi again. The younger boy soon joined in, holding onto Bokuto’s arm.

            “You have such a melodic laugh.”

            “What?”

            “You do,” Bokuto said. “It’s one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard.”

            Akaashi blushed.

            “Shut up.”

            “It is!”

            He shoved his face into Bokuto’s chest and whined softly.

            “I really care about you Akaashi.”

            “I care about you too.”

            Bokuto kissed Akaashi’s head and he sighed happy.

            “I love you, ‘Kaashi.”

            Akaashi sighed softly, moving his hand to lace his fingers between Bokuto’s. Bokuto squeezed Akaashi’s hand and he smiled. For the first time in his life, Akaashi was glad he wasn’t someone else.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a headcannon that Akaashi is quiet because he had a stutter when he was little and he got made fun of a lot. This came from that. It might be a little shitty, but oh well.


End file.
